The close relationship between obesity and high blood pressure, heart disease, and gallstones.

The Harmful Effects of Obesity on the Human Body

What is the relationship between obesity and high blood pressure?

The incidence of hypertension is significantly higher in obese individuals than in non-obese individuals. According to a report from Beijing Hospital from 1989 to 1992, among 91 obese patients and 76 non-obese individuals, the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was compared. Among them, hypertension was present in 55 cases (60.4%) in the obese group and 17 cases (22.4%) in the non-obese group.

Obesity contributes to the development of hypertension because:

(1) Changes in hemodynamics, such as an increase in the oxygen difference between arteries and veins, which is more pronounced during activity.

Because obese patients have a large increase in body fat, their blood circulation volume increases accordingly, which also increases the peripheral resistance of small arteries and accelerates cardiac output to ensure the blood supply to peripheral tissues.

The resulting arteriosclerosis can lead to hypertension.

(2) Endocrine changes, such as increased adrenaline levels in obese individuals, imbalance of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, hyperinsulinemia, increased thyroid hormone levels, increased adrenaline concentration (more than 30% higher than that of non-obese individuals of the same age), increased aldosterone, and increased norepinephrine secretion, can all lead to elevated blood pressure.

(3) Genetic factors: Heredity also has a certain influence on the occurrence of hypertension in obese individuals.

Recent studies have found that hypertensive patients often have hyperinsulinemia, including some hypertensive patients with normal weight.

Hyperinsulinemia has a direct or indirect effect on the blood vessel walls, which greatly influences the development of hypertension.

These patients often have a family history of the disease.

(4) The influence of social environmental factors, such as obese people not liking to exercise, coupled with their good appetite and liking to eat sweets, oily foods, etc., resulting in excessive energy intake and low energy consumption, which easily leads to obesity.

Excessive fat accumulation increases the burden on the heart, leading to high blood pressure.

Why are obese people more prone to heart disease?

Obesity is closely related to heart disease. The incidence of hypertension, heart disease (hypertension) and coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (coronary heart disease) is higher among obese people. It has been reported that the incidence of coronary heart disease among obese people is 34.1%.

The main mechanism by which obesity causes heart disease is:

(1) Excessive fat accumulation increases circulating blood volume, leading to increased cardiac load and elevated blood pressure.

(2) Coexisting abnormal lipid metabolism and high-calorie diet, with intake exceeding consumption causing hyperlipidemia, leading to coronary atherosclerosis and fat deposition in myocardial cells, thickening of the ventricular wall, and reduced myocardial compliance.

(3) The accompanying increase in blood glucose and blood lipids increases blood viscosity, weakens the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells, and leads to insufficient oxygen supply to myocardial cells.

(4) Obese people often dislike exercise, and excessive obesity also limits their activity level, which leads to weakened or insufficient coronary collateral circulation and decreased cardiac compensatory capacity.

Therefore, some scholars have proposed that a weight gain exceeding 30% of the standard weight is a signal that one will develop coronary heart disease within 10 years, and that coronary heart disease in obese patients is more difficult to treat and more dangerous than that in non-obese patients.

Therefore, it can be said that reducing obesity is, in a sense, also a way to prevent and treat coronary heart disease.

Why do obese individuals are more prone to gallstones?

Gallstones are a disease in which stones form in any part of the gallbladder and bile duct.

The main chemical components that form gallstones are cholesterol stones and pigment stones.

The incidence of gallstones increases with the degree of obesity in obese individuals.

The incidence of gallstones is higher in obese individuals than in those of normal weight, with men being twice as likely as those of normal weight and women nearly three times as likely.

Why are obese people more prone to gallstones? This is because obese patients have excessive nutrition and high blood lipids, which requires more bile secretion to digest fat.

The gallbladder is under increased load after a fatty meal. At the same time, cholesterol levels are significantly elevated, cholesterol metabolism is abnormal, and obese individuals have less physical activity, so the probability of cholesterol gallstones in the gallbladder is also increased.

Moreover, many patients with cholecystitis are also more obese than the average person.

Of course, gallstones can easily cause obstruction of bile flow in the bile duct. After obstruction, infection can occur, which naturally makes cholecystitis and cholelithiasis more likely.